OCR scanned PDFs and images into editable text
Convert scanned PDFs, receipts, screenshots, JPG, PNG, and WEBP files into text that can be copied, downloaded, summarized, translated, rewritten, or prepared for AI workflows.
Direct answer
When do you need OCR?
You need OCR when a PDF behaves like an image: text cannot be selected, searched, summarized, translated, or exported reliably. Extracting text first makes every downstream AI and document workflow more useful.
Upload scanned files
Start from a scanned PDF, receipt image, JPG, PNG, or WEBP instead of retyping document text by hand.
Review extracted text
OCR should preserve readable paragraphs, page breaks, and key fields before the text moves into AI review.
Reuse the result
Copy, download, summarize, translate, rewrite, or send the text into Markdown and RAG workflows.
Workflow fit
OCR is the first step, not the last step
Competitor OCR tools pair extraction with summary, rewrite, translation, and export because users need a finished document workflow, not just raw text.
Manual retyping
Slow, error-prone, and hard to repeat when teams process batches of forms, receipts, or scans.
OCR first
Best when the source is scanned or image-only and needs clean text before any AI step is useful.
AI review after OCR
Summary, rewrite, translation, and chat workflows work better after the text has been extracted and checked.
Use cases
Where OCR creates paid workflow value
Scanned contracts
Turn image-only agreements into selectable text before summary, clause review, or translation.
Receipts and invoices
Extract supplier names, amounts, dates, tax lines, and notes before moving data into a spreadsheet.
Research snapshots
Reuse charts, screenshots, and scanned report pages as searchable notes or AI context.
Multilingual paperwork
Detect text from non-English documents before translation or bilingual review workflows.
Turn scans into reusable document text
Use live PDF workflows today for selectable files. OCR, batch processing, and AI rewrite are the clearest next upgrades for scanned documents.
Compare Free and ProFrequently Asked Questions
- Can I OCR a scanned PDF online?
- PDF Everything is adding an OCR-focused workflow for scanned PDFs and image files. Today, selectable PDFs work best in the live summary, chat, translation, table extraction, and Markdown workflows.
- What file types should OCR support?
- The strongest workflow should support scanned PDF files plus JPG, PNG, and WEBP images, then output editable text that can be copied, downloaded, summarized, or rewritten.
- Why add summary and rewrite after OCR?
- OCR turns scans into text. Summary and rewrite turn that text into decisions, action items, cleaned notes, customer replies, or business-ready document drafts.
- Does OCR work for every language?
- OCR quality depends on image clarity, font, language, and page layout. A useful product should detect common languages and make low-confidence text easy to review.
- Is OCR private?
- The intended workflow should minimize retention, explain when AI processing is used, and keep basic document utilities transparent about what is processed in the browser versus on a server.
Related PDF workflows
AI PDF Summary
Summarize extracted document text into decisions, risks, and next steps.
PDF to Markdown
Prepare cleaner document text for ChatGPT, Claude, NotebookLM, and RAG.
Translate PDF
Translate business PDFs once the source text is selectable and readable.
PDF Table Extractor
Extract rows from selectable PDFs and export CSV for spreadsheet work.
Privacy copy matters for OCR because scanned IDs, invoices, and contracts often contain sensitive fields.
Multilingual OCR pairs naturally with the existing translation workflow for cross-border documents.